This invention relates to gowns for use in hospitals and clinics, and more particularly to a disposable protective gown intended for single use applications.
Gowns of the nature of that of the invention are used to protect the wearer, normally from contamination or infection. Various types of gowns have been developed in the past for these purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,673 discloses a gown which fastens in the front of a patient. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,504,978 and 4,586,196 disclose a full body gown which fastens behind the wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,719 discloses a disposable, pullover-type gown with integral arms. U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,335 discloses a rear-fastening gown with tie straps to maintain the gown in place.
One problem with gowns of the prior art is the tendency of the sleeves of the gown to "ride up" the arms of the user. Many gowns employ elastic cuffs to aid in maintaining proper sleeve orientation, but the problem of maintaining sleeves in a proper orientation has not been solved by the use of elastic. When contamination is of paramount concern, and when the gown is employed in a procedure where the wearer also wears gloves, the wearer cannot afford the possibility of an unprotected gap occuring between the glove and the sleeve during use of the gown because the sleeve has crept up the wearer's arm. While the sleeve could be attached to the glove, such is cumbersome, time consuming and often rather uncomfortable.